:. . and then
: order the aluminum for a take-apart mast.

Just curious as to why you are going with an aluminum mast when you could make one from solid wood, hollow-cored wood, glass-wrapped wood, carbon-fiber wrapped wood, or all carbon fiber (wrapped on a removable form). With any of these technologies you would have control over the diameter of the mast. You could certainly form connectors which would allow you to disassemble the mast into as many pieces as you wanted.

Wouldn't a hollow wood mast--made from wood strips and covered with glass--be strong enough, and much less expensive than an aluminum mast?

Just wondering.

PGJ